No abstract

The implementation of biodegradable stents has the potential to revolutionize obstructive coronary artery disease treatment. Limitations still currently exist, however, that prevent biodegradable stents from replacing permanent metallic stents in the global market. The ideal combination of stent properties, including sufficient mechanical strength, controlled degradation, and biocompatibility, has yet to be realized. A novel manufacturing process is proposed that utilizes cold gas-dynamic spraying to fabricate a metal structure with significantly reduced grain size. Iron and stainless steel 316L are combined to form a novel amalgamate with enhanced mechanical strength and a controllable degradation rate, due to the resulting microgalvanic reaction. Flat specimens composed of iron and 316L are fabricated in various compositions, and mechanical and degradation tests were conducted. Femto laser techniques are utilized to produce stents composed of 80% Fe and 20% stainless steel 316L. The in vitro degradation behaviour of the stent is investigated using static and dynamic corrosion tests. It is shown that the corrosion rate can be adjusted to desired values, by varying the weight percentage of iron and stainless steel 316L within the amalgamate.

Swelling of lymph nodes (LNs) is commonly observed during the adaptive immune response, yet the impact on T cell (TC) trafficking and subsequent immune response is not well known. To better understand the effect of macro-scale alterations, we developed an agent-based model of the LN paracortex, describing the TC proliferative response to antigen-presenting dendritic cells alongside inflammation-driven and swelling-induced changes in TC recruitment and egress, while also incorporating regulation of the expression of egress-modulating TC receptor sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1. Analysis of the effector TC response under varying swelling conditions showed that swelling consistently aided TC activation. However, subsequent effector CD8 + TC production was reduced in scenarios where swelling occurred too early in the TC proliferative phase or when TC cognate frequency was low due to increased opportunity for TC exit. Temporarily extending retention of newly differentiated effector TCs, mediated by sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 expression, mitigated any negative effects of swelling by allowing facilitation of activation to outweigh increased access to exit areas. These results suggest that targeting temporary effector TC retention and egress associated with swelling offers new ways to modulate effector TC responses in, for example, immuno-suppressed patients and to optimize of vaccine design.

No abstract